The Truth About Jack is the latest from Jody Gehrman, author of the Audrey's Guide books. It is told from the altering points of view of Jack and Dakota, two teenagers with very different voices.

The author is great at creating complex characters, characters with their own stories and issues and little quirks. There were many moments that a character behaved in a somewhat questionable way, but there were other moments in the history of the character that would ecplain it, turing the questionable behavior into something more sympathetic.

Jack's character is the epitome of this. There were moments when he came off as more than a little obsessive, a little stalkerish, a little to instalove. But, in reality, he was a bit on the dysfunctional side. He had had some issues with his family, with school, with life, and it left him isolated and insecure. There were times when I just couldn't get behind him as a character... until something was said that reminded me of the things he had been through. Then everything fell into place and I just wanted to hug him and root for him. Dakota, too, had been through her own fair share of drama recently and was just as scarred as Jack, albeit in a different way. She had been betrayed and it left her with trust issues that aren't helped along by more lies.

Dakota and Jack are such completely different characters, from totally opposite ends of the spectrum. He is privleged and sheltered, while she grew up in an artists' colony with much more freedom than most. The one thing they share is a love of creativity, Jack in music and Dakota in art. The altering points of view really underscored the differences, and the similarities, between them. I don't think that the story just couldn't have been told nearly as effectively with any other form of narration.

My Recommendation

This is a book that had happy moments, sad moments, funny moments, and even some creepy moments. But what made it a good read were Jack and Dakota, two very different characters that were richly created. Definitely a recommend!